Camp Washington-Carver’s Dinner Theater series to present “The
Fantasticks” on July 7

6/12/01

The longest-running musical in the world comes to Fayette County when Camp
Washington-Carver’s Family Homestyle Dinner Theater Series presents its
first production of the season, “The Fantasticks” by the Charleston
Light Opera Guild, on Saturday, July 7. The dinner buffet begins at 6 p.m. and
the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person for dinner and the performance.
Children five and under are admitted free.

Created by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt and set deep in rural America, “The
Fantasticks” is the sentimental story of two neighboring fathers who fake
a feud to trick their children into courtship. Everything goes according to
plan until the circus comes to town. The story reveals the folly and fragility
of young love, age and human nature. The play’s inventive style requires
audience members to use their imaginations as costumes and props are produced
from a trunk of actor’s tricks. The whole family will enjoy this bewitching
and bright story.

The artistic director of the production is Thomas P. Pasinetti. The cast includes
Bill Rainey as El Gallo, Richard Neeley as Matt, Anna J. Smith as Luisa, Tim
Harper as Hucklebee, Leonard Allen as Bellomy, Joe Romagnoli as Henry, Tim Whitener
as Mortimer and Caroline Chamness Gordon as The Mute. Musical direction is by
Mary Ellen Logsdon and choreography is by Nina Denton Pasinetti.

The Charleston Light Opera Guild has provided a showcase for local musical
talent for more than 50 years. It began in 1948 as a non-profit group that produced
popular operettas. In 1960 the Guild opened its season with “Oklahoma!”—ushering
in the era of the Broadway musical. It has maintained a rich history of mainstage
spring and fall musicals at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater and summertime
musicals at its own Guild Theater on Charleston’s west side.

The Guild’s latest mainstage productions include “Fiddler on the
Roof,” “A Little Night Music,” “Kiss Me, Kate”
and “Peter Pan.” Recent summer theater productions include “Grease”
and “A Chorus Line.” The Guild will present “Fame” July
27 and 28 and Aug. 3, 4, 10 and 11 at its theater on Tennessee Ave. in Charleston.
The group’s summer 2001 productions are sponsored by Mrs. Alex Schoenbaum.

The Family Homestyle Dinner Theater Series brings Broadway-style entertainment
and delicious home-cooked meals to visitors at Camp Washington-Carver’s
Great Chestnut Lodge. The camp is located adjacent to Babcock State Park just
off Route 60 (Midland Trail) on Route 41 in Clifftop, Fayette County. For more
information about the Family Homestyle Dinner Theater Series or “The Fantasticks”
call (304) 438-3005 or (304) 558-0220. Official promotional sponsors are WOAY-TV,
The Fayette Tribune and WTNJ radio.

The dinner buffet includes sliced turkey breast with stuffing, mashed potatoes
and gravy, baked ham, sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, salad, rolls and pineapple
upside down cake. Iced tea, soda and coffee also will be served. At intermission,
playgoers will be treated to homemade cobblers and ice cream.

A beautiful retreat listed on the National Register of Historic Places and
operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Camp Washington-Carver
serves as the state’s mountain cultural arts center and nurtures the cultural
heritage embodied in the site since its dedication in 1942 as a 4-H camp for
West Virginia’s African-American youth.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia
Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past,
present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and
history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. The Cultural Center is
West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. Visit the Division’s
web site at www.wvculture.org for more information.

The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
Employer.